First time gun buyer/owner - suggestions??

I posted this in a response on another thread, but want to get as many answers as possible......

Over the last year-ish I've been trying to work on preparing - canned foods, toilet paper, diapers and wipes, water, OTC meds like Tylenol, cold/flu meds, etc, food for my pets, stashing some cash away, but a gun was not something I really thought about, but now I am. If SHTF badly - I want to be able to protect my family - and protect our stuff from thieves who weren't so prepared. I'll leave shooting it to hubby though, haha unless I have to of course.

Serious question - what would anyone recommend for us?? Neither of us hunt, so don't have much experience with guns. I'd like something that can protect us, and something that we can use to hunt should that be necessary. Suggestions welcome - I'm totally seriously thinking about buying one. Money doesn't matter too much - I'll spend to have something good, but at the same time do not want to spend a ridiculously high amount either.....

"Live each day like it's your last, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching."

I posted this in a response on another thread, but want to get as many answers as possible......

Over the last year-ish I've been trying to work on preparing - canned foods, toilet paper, diapers and wipes, water, OTC meds like Tylenol, cold/flu meds, etc, food for my pets, stashing some cash away, but a gun was not something I really thought about, but now I am. If SHTF badly - I want to be able to protect my family - and protect our stuff from thieves who weren't so prepared. I'll leave shooting it to hubby though, haha unless I have to of course.

Serious question - what would anyone recommend for us?? Neither of us hunt, so don't have much experience with guns. I'd like something that can protect us, and something that we can use to hunt should that be necessary. Suggestions welcome - I'm totally seriously thinking about buying one. Money doesn't matter too much - I'll spend to have something good, but at the same time do not want to spend a ridiculously high amount either.....

Quoting: amywood71605

I'd take your same questions to a reputable gun dealer. You will also get to try them out (at least unloaded). It's not a one size fits all kind of thing.

Peace.

"The paradigm of science is that creation is all, and the creator is nothing. Religion says the creator is all, and the creation is nothing. These two extremes are the bars of a prison cell. They prevent observation of all phenomenon as an interactive whole." -- Airl

Well...there's different guns for different situations. A gun for protecting the house, a gun for protecting land or wider range, a gun for hunting small game, one for large game, etc. And among all these, a particular gun would be better for one person than another.

But for starters, i would focus more on home protection. You can't go wrong with a 9mm...females usually don't have a problem shooting this, and it is more than suffice. You can't go wrong with a Glock as mentioned above. Or you could go with a 12 gauge shotgun and use different rounds for different situations...shotguns are more versatile in that sense.

Buy a double action revolver. A .38 special. There are no safties to forget to click off, no slides to forget to rack. You pull the trigger and it goes bang, every time. No jams, no surprise discharges that take your kids' head off, far fewer accidents.

Revolvers are much easier, safer and more reliable for a beginner such as yourself.

I posted this in a response on another thread, but want to get as many answers as possible......

Over the last year-ish I've been trying to work on preparing - canned foods, toilet paper, diapers and wipes, water, OTC meds like Tylenol, cold/flu meds, etc, food for my pets, stashing some cash away, but a gun was not something I really thought about, but now I am. If SHTF badly - I want to be able to protect my family - and protect our stuff from thieves who weren't so prepared. I'll leave shooting it to hubby though, haha unless I have to of course.

Serious question - what would anyone recommend for us?? Neither of us hunt, so don't have much experience with guns. I'd like something that can protect us, and something that we can use to hunt should that be necessary. Suggestions welcome - I'm totally seriously thinking about buying one. Money doesn't matter too much - I'll spend to have something good, but at the same time do not want to spend a ridiculously high amount either.....

Quoting: amywood71605

I'd take your same questions to a reputable gun dealer. You will also get to try them out (at least unloaded). It's not a one size fits all kind of thing.

Peace.

Quoting: AwakenedDude

Good point. Any other questions I should ask?

"Live each day like it's your last, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching."

Your first one should be a revolver, preferably .357 as you can also fire .38's out of it. The reason for the revolver over the glock is because you can always keep it loaded and it should always work. A magazine has a spring that wears out if it is always loaded so you have to switch magazines every month or so to stop them from going bad. A semi-auto pistol would be great for a second gun or if you are adding more guns although after the revolver I would look at a shotgun.

Well...there's different guns for different situations. A gun for protecting the house, a gun for protecting land or wider range, a gun for hunting small game, one for large game, etc. And among all these, a particular gun would be better for one person than another.

But for starters, i would focus more on home protection. You can't go wrong with a 9mm...females usually don't have a problem shooting this, and it is more than suffice. You can't go wrong with a Glock as mentioned above. Or you could go with a 12 gauge shotgun and use different rounds for different situations...shotguns are more versatile in that sense.

Quoting: No More Lies

Thank you. I thought of that too - that different guns would probably be better in different situations. But, given that me and hubby are TOTAL newbies, I just want to start with one and get comfortable with that first.

"Live each day like it's your last, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching."

The reason is that I recommend this combo is that you indicated "Neither of us hunt, so don't have much experience with guns."

Many semi-autos require quite a bit of training to use Effectively. They can jam, develop feed problems, or simply fail you when the time has come, and without training , it will be hard for you to over-come that failure.

In addition, the above listed guns usually come in a very popular caliber, which makes it easier to obtain ammo when ammo is in short supply.

The reason is that I recommend this combo is that you indicated "Neither of us hunt, so don't have much experience with guns."

Many semi-autos require quite a bit of training to use Effectively. They can jam, develop feed problems, or simply fail you when the time has come, and without training , it will be hard for you to over-come that failure.

In addition, the above listed guns usually come in a very popular caliber, which makes it easier to obtain ammo when ammo is in short supply.

I can go on and on... If you want more info, PM me.

Quoting: Travis Bickle

Thank you!! And yes, we have pretty much ZERO experience with gun, so ease of use is important as well. I'll def. PM you if I have more questions as I search/go through this =)

"Live each day like it's your last, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching."

If you have no experience with a weapon then I would suggest a shotgun. They are easy to maintain, ammo is cheap and plentiful, plus you dont have to be a good shot to hit what you aim at.I would go with a 12 gauge pump, brand isnt all that important.

I know someone suggested a Glock. Pistols are great, but the drawback I see in your situation is lack of experience.If you arent proficient with a pistol, dont expect to hit anything farther away than 15 feet. As for hunting...It is possible to hunt with a pistol. But, again, if you cant hit what you aim at then what good is it.

Unless you are related to Wyatt Earp, you arent going to just pick up a pistol and hit anything, especially a moving target.It takes practice, lots of range time and dedication to become proficient with a pistol.

A shotgun on the other hand is much more forgiving. Aim in the general direction, and you are pretty much guaranteed to hit what you aim at.

No matter what you decide on. Find someone who is well versed in firearms. Learn was much as you can from them, how to maintain the weapon, break it down and clean it, the proper way to shoot the weapon, and above all how to be safe with it.

The Glock 19 is chambered in 9mm, which is one of the most plentiful calibers in the world. (The same holds true for the Glock 17)

The Glock 19 is smaller, and more easily concealed. This would come in handy in a SHTF scenario or in everyday life.

If you get a semiauto pistol, it needs to be a Glock. If you get a Glock, it needs to be 9mm. 9mm is a capable round, there is ample supply, and it's cheap. The more you practice, the more capable you will be if and when you need to use your firearm in self defense.

Thank you. But, after reading the response from the person that talked about going into a gun shop - i think id rather buy it in person so I can "feel" the guns out, if that makes sense. But I appreciate it!

"Live each day like it's your last, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching."

I posted this in a response on another thread, but want to get as many answers as possible......

Over the last year-ish I've been trying to work on preparing - canned foods, toilet paper, diapers and wipes, water, OTC meds like Tylenol, cold/flu meds, etc, food for my pets, stashing some cash away, but a gun was not something I really thought about, but now I am. If SHTF badly - I want to be able to protect my family - and protect our stuff from thieves who weren't so prepared. I'll leave shooting it to hubby though, haha unless I have to of course.

Serious question - what would anyone recommend for us?? Neither of us hunt, so don't have much experience with guns. I'd like something that can protect us, and something that we can use to hunt should that be necessary. Suggestions welcome - I'm totally seriously thinking about buying one. Money doesn't matter too much - I'll spend to have something good, but at the same time do not want to spend a ridiculously high amount either.....

Quoting: amywood71605

AMY,

Do not use a pistol, rifle for home defense. That is one thing I can tell you for sure.

I've been around weapons my whole life, and I would recommend a shotgun. Nothing too tactical, but something with a rail on top (for a sight)

The reason you shouldn't use pistol/rifle in the house is simple, those bullets will pierce through walls, and possibly create collateral damage.

Back to the shotgun. I would recommend a Mossberg, or Benelli. Auto is good, but pump action is a classic.

There are many types of ammunition for a shotgun-

SaltSlugMagnum BirdshotBuckshotetc...

as for hunting, you want a secondary for this(you don't want to litter your dinner with bullets...)

The KEL-TEC SU-16 is a good choice, because it can store magazines in the buttstock, is foldable, and easy to handle for a novice, and extremely accurate for a veteran.

Go with the 870 shotgun. The ak is great to have for allot of situations , home def not really one of them. The 7.62 will travel through walls etc , then you have to worry about killing your neighbor or kids in other rooms etc.